LEXINGTON, Va. – For the sixth consecutive year, the Western Carolina men’s indoor track & field team captured the Southern Conference title in Lexington, Va. as the Catamounts downed second place Samford by 27 points. The women’s team finished in second place for the third straight year. The championship is the first under head coach Jesse Norman, who returned to coach his alma mater in January.

In addition to the men’s team win, freshman Trini Feggett earned the Heath Whittle Award which is given to the Men’s Most Outstanding Athlete. Senior Dakota Wright earned the Pinnacle Award for the second straight year, given to the student-athlete with the highest GPA on the championship winning team.

“I’m excited about continuing to win the men’s championship,” Norman said. “I felt we did a good job competing as it got close at one point before we closed it down. We need to build some more depth on the women’s side as that was one of our issues this weekend. This is a major goal for the coaching staff this year.”

Feggett earned his second individual win of the meet on Sunday as he took first place in the men’s 200-meter dash with a time of 21.48. He also finished third in the men’s 60-meter dash with a time of 6.93. On Saturday, Feggett won the men’s long jump in a facility-record mark of 7.54 meters (24’9”). Feggett tallied 28.5 points for the weekend.

Junior Devaniel Dale led a 1-2-4 Catamount finish in the men’s 400-meter dash as he crossed the finish line with a time of 48.09. Classmate Chace Washington-Saunders finished closely behind in second place at 48.13 and senior Miles Greer was the fourth-place finisher with a time of 49.57. The trio combined to score 23 points in the event for the Catamounts.

Junior Di’Joun Huitt won the men’s triple jump with a leap of 15.12 meters (49’7.25”).

The men’s 4x400-meter relay team of Washington-Saunders, Dale, Greer and Feggett closed out the meet with a win as they finished in 3:18.78.

In the women’s weight throw, freshman Victoria Solheim was the winner with a throw of 18.52 meters. Senior Simone Williams finished in third place with her throw of 17.99 meters.

Junior Kellsie Whitehead was the winner in the women’s 400-meter dash as she completed her lap around the track in 55.69 seconds.

Wright recorded his second runner-up finish of the meet, this time in the weight throw thanks to his toss of 18.97 meters. Wright finished in second place in the shot put on Saturday.

The women’s 4x400-meter relay team of Whitehead, sophomore Dominique Delisser, senior Sally Woerner and freshman Marissa Blakely finished in second place with a time of 3:51.70.

Freshman Dakota Oxendine finished in third place in the men’s high jump as he cleared 2.05 meters. Oxendine along with Samford’s Matt Cahoon and Justin Stuckey all cleared 2.05 meters with tiebreakers determined by the number of total jumps.

Sophomore Kinley Drummonds finished in third place in the women’s pole vault as she cleared a height of 3.70 meters.

Junior Mia Little finished in third place in the women’s 60-meter dash, crossing the finish line in 7.67.

The Catamounts await word to see if any student-athletes posted a qualifying mark for the NCAA Division I Indoor Championships in Birmingham, Ala. on March 8-9.